Fiji and Pacific Facing ‘Hybrid Warfare’ Threat, Defence Minister Warns

Climate disasters across the Pacific are creating dangerous security vulnerabilities that hostile actors are increasingly exploiting, Fiji’s Defence Minister warned during a regional security workshop Tuesday.

Speaking at the Hybrid Threats and Natural Hazards workshop at Black Rock Camp in Nadi, Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua described how natural disasters are opening operational gaps that leave Pacific Island nations vulnerable to sophisticated hybrid threats.

“In Pacific Island countries, natural disasters are not an abstract risk. They are our reality. Cyclones, floods and rising seas shape our economies, infrastructure and communities,” Tikoduadua told attendees. “Increasingly, these events are creating operational openings for a different category of threat.”

The minister outlined how these security concerns emerge during the chaos of disaster response when national systems are strained to their limits. Critical infrastructure becomes compromised, surveillance capabilities diminish, and communities become isolated from reliable information sources.

“When a disaster strikes, our primary directive is saving lives and restoring basic services,” he explained. “However, during this period, national systems come under strain. Information systems degrade, personnel resources are stretched, maritime surveillance is reduced, and communities become more isolated from verified sources of information.”

These vulnerabilities create fertile ground for transnational criminal networks, which exploit reduced maritime patrols to transport illicit goods. Meanwhile, disinformation campaigns target populations cut off from official communications, and external actors may attempt to interfere with critical infrastructure, including undersea communication cables and port facilities.

The convergence of climate disasters and security threats presents a particularly complex challenge for Pacific Island nations already facing the disproportionate impacts of climate change. With sea levels rising and extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense, the region serves as a frontline for this emerging security paradigm.

Tikoduadua emphasized that building resilience must extend beyond physical infrastructure to include continuity of government systems, information integrity, supply chain redundancy, and protection of sovereign data during vulnerable periods.

Fiji has responded to these challenges through its national security strategy, which recognizes the interconnected nature of modern threats and emphasizes coordination across government agencies. The strategy strengthens data-sharing protocols between civil defense, cybersecurity, and public agencies while investing in maritime domain awareness.

One concrete example is the Maritime Service Centre, which improves integration of intelligence and response functions by co-locating maritime and communication services to enable real-time coordination between patrol units and disaster management authorities.

European Union Ambassador to the Pacific Barbara Plinkert, who also addressed the workshop, highlighted the evolving global security context in which these threats are emerging. “The European Union understands that its approach to security is changing amid profound geopolitical shifts,” she said. “The international rules-based system is becoming more fragmented, contested and less predictable.”

Plinkert emphasized that information manipulation represents not just a communications challenge but a significant security and foreign policy issue within the broader cyber threat landscape. She stressed the importance of balancing regional autonomy while safeguarding economic interests and security.

The workshop marks the first Pacific activity under the European Union-funded project “Enhancing EU Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific,” signaling growing international recognition of the Pacific’s strategic importance in an increasingly contested region.

For small island developing states like Fiji, these hybrid threats represent an emerging security frontier that requires both national capacity building and international cooperation. As Tikoduadua noted, “No country can address hybrid threats alone. Our commitment is to work with partners to address these evolving security challenges. We must not only fund disaster response, but also the systems exposed because of it.”

The two-day workshop, which concluded Tuesday, brought together regional security experts and officials to develop more integrated approaches to these complex challenges facing Pacific Island nations.